Automobile sleigh attachment.



S. L. CHARLES. AUTOMOBILE SLBIGH ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED PERB, 1909.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

d M c. S. Y n@ NRN Mya/JM s. L. CHARLES. UTQMOBILE SLBIGH ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED PEB. 8, 1909.

'k @KO n MXN' 5.22%@ I im' kj X69 Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

S.. L. CHARLES. AUTOMQBILB SLEIGH ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 1909. 939,6(56.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

SEWALL L. cHARLEs, or NEILLsvILLE, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMOBILE SLEIGH ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 9, 1909.

' Application filed February 8, 1909. Serial 110.476,679.

To all/whom it may concern:

.I e 1t known that I, SEWALL L. CHARLES, citizen of the United States, residing at Neillsville, in .the county of Clark and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Sleigh Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved sleigh attachment which is designed' to be applied to an automobile to admit of the same being propelled over ice and snow similar to a sleigh.

The object of the invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive device of the character which can be readily applied to an automobile or removedv therefrom, and which embodies a sleigh propelling wheel mounted to he driven by the engine of the automobile. i

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the means forell'ecting the result, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automobile having the improved sleighattachment applied thereto; F ig. 2 is a top plan View' of the attachment, the front and rear axles ofthe ,automobile being shown; Fig. 3 is a -detail view of one of themembers engaging thefront. axle of the automobile;

cated in all the views of the drawings by the ysame reference characters.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates an automobile from which the wheels have been removed, the rear axle being shown at 2 and the front axle at 3. Piv

otally connected to eac-h extremity of the front axle is the usual spindle 4 which is so mounted as to swing about a vertical axis. A sleigh runner 5 is provided for each end of the front axle and these runners are formed with the usual vertical frames 5a.

` `Projecting 'outwardly from `the upper -porupper portion of each of the said vertical trames 1s a second semi-circular plate 7 the said plates being disposed in horizontal planes and being connected to the frame by the diagonal braces 8 so as to obtain a rigid construction.

Each of the outwardly projecting-semicircular plates 6 carries a-bearing 9 receiving the corresponding spindle 4 of the front axle, while the inwardly projecting semi` circular plates 7 are Aformed lwith the segmental slots 10 receiving loosely the arms 11 projecting downwardly from clamps 12 api I plied to thev axle. The pivotal connections between the spindles and the axle are disposed-immediately over the frames 5a of the sleigh runners and the arms 11 are provided with the yrollers 13 which bear against the upper and lower faces of the segmental plates7 and are designed to travel thereon when the runners are turned to change the direction of movement of the sleigh. With this construction the runners have an operative connection both with the spindles et and the front axle 3 and are securely braced against any swaying movement, but at the same time can be readily turned through the medium of the spindles to admit of the sleigh being guided by the steering mechanism of the automobile. In a somewhat similar manner a sleigh runner 14 is provided for --cach end of the rear axle, the said sleigh runners 14 being formed vwith the vertical frames 14:. The forward portions of these vertical. frames 14a are provided with out- Wardly projecting horizontal plates 15 which have a semi-circular formation and are connected to the lower portion of the frames by the diagonal braces 16. Each ofthese horizontal plates l5 carries a bearing 17 for the reception of the corresponding end of the rear axle, and the frames themselves are 21 swiveled upon the opposite ends thereof,

the said eyes loosely receiving the guide rods and is provided 19. A bearing 22 is applied to each' of the horizontal blocks and these bearings arey a sprocket wheel 26 engaging a chain 27 'engage the ice or snow lwhich also passesl around a sprocket wheel 28 mounted upon the body portion of the automobile and receiving engine. It is contemplated t9 'provide a tightener for this chain 27, and in the present instance this tightener comprises a pairof wheels 29 carried by thespring arms 30 projecting rearwardly from the automobile, the said wheels engaging both theupper and lower`reaches of the chain and being. forced toward each other by -the-spring strips 30 so as to take upany slack in the chain.

Rigid upon the shaft 25 towardI each endthereof is a sleigh propelling wheel 31, the said wheels being mformed with the radially projecting teeth- 32 which are designed .toand propel the sleigh in the usual manner. stances it may also be found desirable to apply a fly wheel 33 to each Vend ofthe shaft such an arrangement serving to conserve the energy so asment of the partsand enable the' sleigh to' pass over any slight obstructions.

The four corners of each of the horizontalblocks 20 are connected by the links 34 to vone end of aspring 35 which extends up- Aupwardly through leased so as from the sleigh ruimer 14 andtends to normally draw lthe block downwardly so as to hold the sleigh propelling wheels 3l in an operative position. In a somewhat similar manner the four corners of each of the horizontal blocks are also connected by the links 36 to the end of a cable 37 which passes the frame 14a and then overv a guide member; 38 and forwardly around a second guide member 39, the extremities of the cable being connected by a lever 40 upon the body portion of the automobile. lt will thus be obvious that by suitably manipulating these levers '40 the sleigh propelling wheels may either b'e swung upwardly into an inoperative position, or reto be drawn downwardlyin an operative position by the action of the springs 35'. It is also contemplated to prov'vide a brake for the sleigh, and -this brake Ucomprises a pair of lframes 14.3.01? the rear sleigh runners. -eni`d4of each of these curved brake levers 41 curved levers 41. which are pivoted between One y the ice.I

power from the admits of this slight movement.

' 1. A sleigh attachment Under some circumto obtain a uniform mover' king members,

their ends upon the A against the action of is. designedfto be swung downwardly so as viso-project .below the runner .and eng-age the y ice and snow, while the opposite end is connectedl by a rod- 424 to an operating lever 43 iiponthe automobile. Thesefbrake levers arenormally held in an inoperative position, l,

ment of the sleigh it is merelynecessary to manipulate the operating levers 43 and move the brake levers into an operative position.

Theblocks 2 0 are looselymounted on lthe" guides L19 so as to admit of the properadjustm'ent of the shaft 25 should any irregularityfoccur in the lengths of. the cables 37 to enable a firm contact of the'wheel 31'upon The provision 'of the eye-bolts 21' Having thus described the inventiomwhat is claimed as new 1s:

for automobiles,

comprising a series of sleigh runners adapted to be applied to the axles of 'the' automobile,

vertical guide rods niountedyin pairs upon mounted between each pair of 'the vertical guide rods, a shaft journaled between the blocks, asleigh propelling wheel upon the shaft, and means for 4transmitting motion from the shaft.

2. A sleigh attachment for automobiles, comprising a series of sleigh runners' adapted to be appliedto the axles of the automobile, avertical `guide rod upon each of the sleigh runners of the rear axle, a block movably mounted upon each of the guide rods Iengine of the automobileto the the rear of saidfsleighrunners, blocks loosely iocand adapted to be swung about a horizontal y axis, a bearing member mounted upon each ofthe vblocks so` as to be turned about a vertical axis, a shaft journaled upon the beara sleigh propelling wheel applied to the sha-ft, and means for transinit- '.ting'motion from the engine of the automobile to the shaft.

3. sleigh attachment for automobiles, comprising a series of'sleigh runners adapted to'bel applied tothe axles of the automo lim bile, bearings mounted upon one pair. of the/ sleigh runners so as to-j turn about either a vertical axis or a horizontal axis, a shaft journaled upon the bearings, a sleigh propelling wheel applied to the shaft, and

lla'

means -for transmitting motion -from the enof the automobile to the shaft. v'

gine

Asleigh attachment for automobiles,

.comprising'a series of sleigh runners adapted to be applied to the axles 'of the automobile, bearings movably mounted upon one pair of the sleigh runners,

upon, thebearings, a sleigh propelling wheel applied tothe shaft, springs normally tend- 'in to move the bearings downwardly to ho d the sleigh propelling wheel in an operative position, means for raising the beain the springs to l1 a shaft journaled sleigh propelling wheel into an inoperative position, and means for transmitting moa sleigh propelling wheel applied to the shaft, springs acting upon the blocks to draw them downwardly and normally hold f the sleigh propelling wheel in an operative position, means for moving the blocks upwardly to throw the sleigh propelling wheel iutoan inoperative position, 'and means for transmitting motion from the engine of the automobile to the shaft.

G. A sleigh attachment for automobiles, omnprising a series of sleigh runnersadapted to be applied to the axles of the autoniobile, those sleigh runners applied to the front. axle being rigid with the spindles and having an operative connection with the body portion of the axle.

T. The combination with the front axle of au automobile having spindles pivotally connected to the ends thereof so as to swing about a vertical axis, of sleigh runners, vertical frames upon the sleigh runners, horizontal plates projecting outwardly from these vertical frames and provided with means for engaging the spindles, a second set of horizontal plates projecting inwardly from the frames, and members applied to the front axle and having a sliding connection with the second set of horizontal plates.

8. The combination with the front axle ofv an automobile having spindles pivoted to the ends thereof so as to swing about a vertical axis, sleigh runners, vert-ical Aframes upon the sleigh runners, horizontal' plates Vprojecting outwardly fromI the vertical frames and providedwith means for engaging the spindles, a second set of horizontal plates projecting inwardly from the vert-ical frames and formed with segmental slots, and arms projecting from the .axles and loosely received within these slots.

9. The combination with the front axleof an automobile having the spindles pivotally connected thereto so as 'to swing about a vertical axis, of sleigh runners, vertical frames upon the sleigh runners, horizontal plates projecting outwardly from the vertical frames, bearings upon the said horizonta'l plates for engaging the spindles, a second set of horizontal plates projecting. inwardly from the frames and formed with segmental slots, arms projecting from the axle and passing loosely through the segmental slots, and rollers carried by the arms, the said rollers engaging the upper and lower faces of the horizontal plates and being designed to travel thereon.

1.0. In a device as specified the combination with an automobile of runners disposed upon the forward pivoted' spindles of the same, runners carried on the opposite extremities of the rear axle-of said automobile, a shaft transversely positioned between said rear runners, bearings adjustably mounted on said rear runners for supportingsaid shaft,a toothed wheel loosely mounted on said shaft, a sprocket carried onl said shaft, a chain mounted over said sprocket and connected to theengine of said automobile to propel said shaft, springs carried/by said rear runners and connectedto said bearings for normally holding the same in a downward position and means connected to said automobile for raising said bearings at times to raise said toothed wheel out of engagement with the ice.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Y SEWALL L. CHARLES; Witnesses:

I. F.' 'ScHUsTER`,

Criss.l F. Groix'. 

